Light weight cordless stud welder

ABSTRACT

A portable stud welder apparatus is provided for welding a stud onto a work piece. The portable stud welder apparatus includes a housing and an energy storage device. A weld stud gun that is configured to hold a weld stud is electrically connected to the energy storage device for receiving energy from the energy storage device to pass a current through the stud and the work piece to form a weldment. At least one battery of the lithium ion type that is removeably coupled to the housing to establish an electrical connection with said energy storage device and provide energy to the energy storage device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 62/207,544, filed on Aug. 20, 2015, and entitled“LIGHT WEIGHT CORDLESS STUD WELDER”, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference as though set forth fully herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a stud welder, and more particularly toa battery-powered, portable stud welder.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Stud welding is a technique for welding a fastener, such as stud orother fastener, to a base metal of a work piece. Various stud weldersystems are known in the art for this purpose. One such type of studwelder system is known as a capacitive discharge (CD) system, whichtypically includes a charging circuit, an energy storage device, e.g.,one or more capacitors, and a discharge circuit which extends through aweld stud gun. The power supply for such welding systems is normally anexternal source of AC power. In operation, the energy storage device isdischarged to create an arc between a stud that is connected to the weldstud gun and the work piece, thereby heating up the stud and the workpiece. When the arc is complete, the weld stud gun plunges the stud intothe heated area on the work piece to create a weldment. Examples of suchsystems are provided in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. US2013/0126498 to Hsu et al. and US 2013/0062327 to Hsu et al. However,the stud welder systems disclosed in US 2013/0126498 and US 2013/0062327each must be tethered to an external power supply during operation, andthus are not portable.

While other stud welder systems are battery-powered to improve on theportability of stud welder systems, each of these portable systems relyon multiple lead acid batteries, resulting in a relatively large andheavy welding system. Put another way, even if portable, the use of leadacid batteries causes the portable stud welder system to be difficult totransport and operate, especially when support by a user is requiredduring welding. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No.2008/0053967 discloses such a portable drawn arc stud welder thatincorporates lead acid batteries as an internal power source. Morespecifically, the portable drawn arc stud welder requires four (4) 12volt DC lead acid batteries that are each permanently disposed withinthe housing to provide the high capacity needed for stud welding. Sincethe lead acid batteries create a substantial heat load during operation,a thermal management system is also required which necessarily increasesthe weight and size of the resultant portable system. Finally, since thelead acid batteries are permanently secured within the housing, theportable stud welder must also include an internal battery charger thatfurther adds weight and size to the footprint of the portable system, aswell as the requirement for the portable system to be plugged into anoutlet to undergo charging. The downtime incurred during charging of theportable stud welder system can lead to lost operational time of theportable stud welder system.

In view of the foregoing, there remains a need for improvements to suchportable stud welder systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A portable stud welder apparatus is provided for welding a stud onto awork piece. The portable stud welder apparatus includes a housing and anenergy storage device that is disposed in the housing. A weld stud gunthat is configured to hold a weld stud is electrically connected to theenergy storage device for receiving energy from the energy storagedevice to pass a current through the stud and the work piece to form aweldment. At least one battery of the lithium ion type is removeablycoupled to the housing to establish an electrical connection with saidenergy storage device and provide energy to the energy storage device.

The invention in its broadest aspect therefore provides a cordless,portable stud welder apparatus that can be easily transported andoperated, even while being manually carried and supported by anoperator. More specifically, the use of a lithium ion battery provides alight weight, compact design which does not require a bulky thermalmanagement system to keep the apparatus cool, nor does it require anintegral power cord to operate or re-charge. Furthermore, the portablestud welder apparatus may advantageously be used even while a battery ischarging since the lithium ion battery is quickly and easilydisconnected from the housing and replaced with another battery.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated,as the same becomes better understood by reference to the followingdetailed description when considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective side view of a portable stud welder according toan aspect of the disclosure, illustrating a shoulder strapinterconnected to a housing for allowing the portable stud welderapparatus to be easily carried and supported by a user;

FIG. 2 is a perspective front view of the portable stud welder of FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a back view of a housing of a portable stud welder apparatus,schematically illustrating a battery recess and battery disposedtherein;

FIG. 4 is first side view of the portable stud welder;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the portable stud welder;

FIG. 6 is a second side view of the portable stud welder;

FIG. 7 is a second side view of the portable stud welder, illustrating aweld stud gun and connector connected thereto;

FIG. 8 is a first side view of the portable stud welder, illustrating adoor disposed in an open position to provide access to a battery recessand a support assembly disposed in an unfolded position;

FIG. 9 is a top view of the portable stud welder, also illustrating thedoor disposed in an open position, and the support assembly disposed inan unfolded position;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a battery charger illustrating abattery connected thereto; and

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of a battery recess, a battery, a batterycontrol module, an energy storage device, a discharge unit, acontroller, a boost converter, a gun welding terminal, a gun controlterminal, a work piece ground terminal, and a chassis ground terminal.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ENABLING EMBODIMENTS

Capacitive discharge (CD) welders have historically been powered from ACpower outlets, typically 115 VAC/60 Hz in the United States, or 220VAC/50 Hz in Western Europe. Specifically, CD welders requiresubstantial charging current to charge the capacitor bank rapidlybetween welds. Because of this requirement, traditional CD welderstypically require 10-20 amp capacity from a 115 VAC line, or 5-10 ampcapacity from a 220 VAC line. This requirement is met by having a highcapacity line cord for power, usually a 16 AWG to 14 AWG, 3-conductorcord. This cord, when extended to allow the welder to be used at adistance from the power outlet, adds substantial weight, restrictedmovement, safety concerns (shock/tripping/arc flash) and limitedportability to the CD welder. The portable stud welder apparatus 20 asdisclosed herein eliminates the need for the line cord, while alsopreserving the benefit of being a very light weight, portable studwelder.

Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate correspondingparts throughout the several views, the portable stud welder apparatus20 is generally shown for welding a stud onto a work piece. The portablestud welder apparatus 20 includes a housing 22 that generally has acuboid shape and includes a front wall 24, a back wall 26, a top wall28, a bottom wall 30, a first side wall 32 and a second side wall 34. Asbest illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 11, an energy storage device 36, e.g., acapacitor 36, a discharge circuit 40, and a controller 42 are disposedin the housing 22.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4 and 8, a battery recess 44 is defined bythe first side wall 32 of the housing 22. A battery terminal 45 isdisposed in the battery recess 44 and is in electrical communicationwith the boost convertor 41, discharge circuit 40 and controller 42. Alithium ion battery 38 is removeably disposed in the battery recess 44and electrically connected with the boost convertor 41 by way of batteryterminal 45. The battery 38 may be a 40 volt DC battery, formed from,for example, a 46.8 volt DC, 5 amp-hour lithium ion battery 38. Thebattery 38 feeds a boost converter 41 to charge the energy storagedevice 36. It should be appreciated that lithium ion batteries of othervoltages may be employed, and other circuits may be utilized to boostthe voltage. However, the battery 38 is selected in order to provide anoptimum combination of high amp-hours for long battery life and minimumoverall weight and size. By utilizing a 46.8 volt DC, 5 amp-hour lithiumion battery 38 as described, the subject portable stud welder apparatus20 is capable of delivering approximately 2000 welds on a single batterycharge, while still providing a compact, lightweight package. In fact,given the light weight of the stud welder apparatus 20 (approximately 18lbs. without cables 62, 64, 68, 69 and a stud welder gun 60 attached),the subject stud welder apparatus 20 provides approximately 111 weldsper pound on a single battery charge. This is substantially improvedover known prior art portable stud welders which utilize lead acidbatteries. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that by using such abattery 38, a power cord is not necessary, thus allowing the stud welderapparatus 20 to be used just about anywhere, even in areas which lackimmediate access to a power outlet. Elimination of a power cord alsoprovides a reduced risk of electric shock, arc flash injury, or trippingover the power cord while working.

With continued reference to FIGS. 3, 4 and 8, a door 46 is connected tothe first side wall 32 of the housing 22 and is moveable between an openposition and a closed position. The door 46 seals or encloses thebattery 38 in the battery recess 44 when in the closed position, thusentirely sealing or covering and enclosing the battery 38 in the housing22. On the other hand, when the door 46 is in the open position, thebattery 38 is easily removeable from the battery recess 44. This allowsthe operator fast access to remove and replace the battery 38 with notools required. As best illustrated in FIG. 10, when the battery 38 isremoved from the battery recess 44, the battery 38 may be connected to abattery charger 48 that operates separate from and is disconnected fromthe housing 22 for charging the battery 38. This allows an operator tocharge a second battery while welding with a first battery in use, andthen later swap the batteries as needed. Put another way, the studwelder apparatus 20 is not limited to the constraints of an integralpower cord for continued operation and re-charging. The battery chargermay be connected to various power sources including, but not limited to,a 120V household mains power source. Because the battery 38 must be safeto handle while outside of the stud welder apparatus 20, it has aninternal battery management system 50 (schematically shown in FIG. 3)which provides short circuit protection for the battery 38. The batterymanagement system 50 also prevents overcharging the cells in the battery38, disables discharge of the battery 38 upon reaching a low thresholdoutput voltage in order to prevent damage to cells of the battery 38,and also disables discharge upon reaching a high temperature limit.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, the controller 42 and the battery 38are disposed in electrical connection with one another when the battery38 is disposed in the recess 38. The controller 42 is configured toexecute various operational, diagnostic and safety tasks. For example,the controller 42 is configured to discontinue welding when the battery38 reaches a low charge level. This provides the operator notice (e.g.,a visual or audible warning) when the battery 38 is low so they can takeaction before the battery voltage falls low enough such that the studwelder apparatus 20 might be at risk of malfunctioning, or completelyshutting off.

As best illustrated in FIG. 6, the front wall 34 of the housing 22presents a gun welding terminal 52, a gun control terminal 54, a workpiece ground terminal 56, and a chassis ground terminal 58. As bestillustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 7A, a weld stud gun 60 of the capacitivedischarge type is electrically connected to the energy storage device 36via the gun welding terminal 52. It should be appreciated that variousstyles of capacitive discharge (CD) weld stud guns could be utilizedwith the subject stud welder apparatus 20. The weld stud gun 60 includesa collet 61 for being releasable attached to a stud or other fastener.It should be appreciated that the collet 61 and other components of theweld stud gun 60 are configured such that they may be used with variousstuds or other fasteners. For example, the subject stud welder apparatus20 can be used to weld various weldable pins that meet requirements ofAmerican Welding Society (AWS) codes, and other international codes, forexample, weld pins up to ¼″ in diameter, and standard tip studs andcupped head pins. As best illustrated in FIG. 7, a weld cable 62 extendsfrom the weld stud gun 60 to the gun welding terminal 52 to provide awelding voltage to the weld stud gun 60. Additionally, a two-wirecontrol cable 64 extends from the weld stud gun 60 to the gun controlterminal 54. The controller 42 provides instructions to the weld studgun 60 through the control cable 64 for controlling the output of theweld stud gun 60.

As best illustrated in FIG. 7, a connector 66 is provided for connectingthe portable stud welder 20 to the work piece. In a preferredarrangement, the connector 66 is a clamp 66 of an electricallyconductive material. A welding ground cable 68 extends from the clamp 66to the work piece ground terminal 56. Since the portable stud welderapparatus 20 can operate without a traditional line power cord, theusual means for providing a chassis safety ground connection are notpresent. Given this, the stud welder apparatus 20 includes a safetyground cable 69, i.e., a safety ground, which connects to the chassisground terminal 58. The other end of the safety ground cable 69 isconnected to the connector 66 in a durable fashion, such as a permanentcrimp connection or the like, which the operator cannot accidentallydefeat. The controller 42 checks the continuity of the safety groundcable 69 continuously, and is configured to generate an alert (e.g.,visual or audio) to the operator if the controller 42 detects a missingconnection of the safety ground cable 69.

The weld stud gun 60 includes a trigger 70 that is moveable between anactivated position and a non-activated position. When disposed in theactivated position, the trigger 70 sends a signal through the controlcable 64 to the controller 42 which signals discharge circuit 40, thusapplying a voltage to the weld cable 62 and weld stud gun 60, causing awelding arc to form and a welding current to flow, i.e., a currentpulse, through the stud and work piece to the welding ground cable 68.The welding arc is created between the distal end of the stud and theattachment site on the work piece. The welding arc melts both the distaltip of the stud and creates a molten pool at the area of attachment onthe work piece. The weld stud gun 60 then plunges the stud into themolten pool at the area of attachment, creating a weldment to the workpiece. When the trigger 70 is disposed in the non-activated position, nowelding voltage is applied to the weld stud gun 60.

As best illustrated in FIG. 5, a knob 72 is disposed on the top wall 28of the housing 22 and is electrically connected to an encoder (notshown) for adjusting the voltage level of the capacitor 36. A displayscreen 74 is positioned on the top wall 28 of the housing 22 forpresenting information to a user such as the voltage level of thecapacitor 36 selected by the knob 72 and/or information or alertsgenerated by the controller 42 regarding the battery 38. An actuationswitch 76 is positioned on the top wall 28 of the housing 22 and ismoveable between an on position and an off position for powering on andoff the stud welder apparatus 20. A plurality of vents 78, 79 aredefined by the front wall 24, the back wall 26 and the side walls 32, 34of the housing 22 for cooling the compartment of the housing 22. Morespecifically, an intake vent 78 is defined by the second side wall 34for drawing air into the compartment. A fan (not shown) is disposed inthe housing 22 in alignment with the intake fan 78. A thermal sensor(not shown) is also disposed in the housing 20 and is configured toactivate the fan upon a detection that the internal temperature of thehousing 22 has passed a predetermined temperature to cool the componentsin the housing 22. Furthermore, a plurality of the vents are exhaustvents 79 for removing air from the housing 22. As shown, the exhaustvents 79 may be positioned on the front wall 32, back wall 26 and frontside wall 32.

As best illustrated in FIG. 9, a support assembly 80, 82 is pivotallyconnected to the front wall 24 of the housing 22 for supporting the weldstud gun 60 and its corresponding cables 62, 64, 68, 69. The supportassembly 80, 82 provides a simple, lightweight cable management featureto the housing 22, which uses the weight of the weld stud gun 60 andcables 62, 64, 68, 69 to help trap these components securely against thehousing 22. The support assembly 80, 82 is pivotable between a foldedposition and an unfolded position. In the folded position (asillustrated in FIGS. 4-7), the support assembly 80, 82 extends generallyflush with the front wall 24 to save space and prevent sharp edges ofthe support assembly 80, 82 from injuring the operator. In the unfoldedposition (as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 8 and 9), the support assembly80, 82 extends at an angle relative to the front wall 24 such that thesupport assembly may receive the weld stud gun 60 and cables 62, 64, 68,69. It should be appreciated that the support assembly 80, 82 may extendat various angles relative to the front wall 24 to adapt to differentlysized cables and weld stud guns.

The support assembly 80, 82 includes a holster 80 that generally has arectangular shaped opening 84 for receiving and holding the weld studgun 60. The holster 80 is sized to allow a barrel portion 85 of the weldstud gun 60 to pass through the rectangular opening 84, and then relieson the weight of the weld stud gun 60 to bias the support assembly 80,82 toward the folded position to trap the weld stud gun 60 against theholster 80. The support assembly 80, 82 also includes a cleat 82 thatgenerally has a T-shape for allowing the cables 62, 64, 68, 69 to bewrapped thereabout. The cleat 82 is sized to allow an operator to coiland store the various cables 62, 64, 68, 69 on the cleat 82, and use theweight of the cables 62, 64, 68, 69 to bias the support assembly 80, 82toward the folded position to trap the cables 62, 64, 68, 69 securelyfor transport. Although the holster 80 and cleat 82 are presented in theexample embodiment as being integrally connected to one another, theycould be unattached such that they may pivot independently of oneanother. It should be appreciated that the simple, compact design of thesupport assembly 80, 82 decreases the time it takes to set up or putaway the subject welder apparatus 20, and provides a compact overallconfiguration of the stud welder apparatus 20.

As best illustrated in FIG. 1, a handle 83 is pivotally connected to thetop wall 28 of the housing 22 for allowing a user to carry the housing22. Further, a strap 88 is removably connected to the housing 22 forallowing a user to easily carry, transport, and support the portablestud welder 20. More specifically, a pair of connecting rings 90 areeach positioned on opposing sides of the top wall 28 of the housing 22,and a pair of coupling links 91, which are each connected to an end ofthe strap 88, are removeably connected to one of the connecting rings90. It should be appreciated that the shoulder strap 88 allows theoperator to use the subject weld stud apparatus 20 while remainingmobile with his/her hands free. Put another way, if the weldingoperation does not allow the stud welder apparatus 20 to be placed on asupport surface, but rather requires manual support by the user, such asif the user is working in a raised position on a ladder, the shoulderstrap 88 allows the user to support the stud welder apparatus 20 ontheir body, leaving their hands-free to attend to the welding operation.It should also be appreciated that the strap 88 may have various lengthsand widths, and is padded to provide increased comfort to an operator.

As best illustrated in FIG. 4, a plurality of back support legs 92 aredisposed on the back wall 26 of the housing 22, and a plurality ofbottom support legs 94 are disposed on the bottom wall 30 of the housing22. The back support legs 92 and bottom support legs 94 allow thehousing 22 to be positioned and used while in both a horizontal positionon its back wall 26, or a vertical positon on its bottom wall 30,without damaging other components of the housing. Furthermore, a pair ofrails 96 are disposed on the top wall 28 in spaced and parallelrelationship with one another on opposing sides of the handle 83. Therails 96 limit the pivoting movement of the handle 83 and protect thedisplay screen 74, knob 72 and actuation switch 76.

It should be appreciated that the overall light weight, compactconfiguration of the subject stud welder apparatus 20 provides increasedsafety while operators work off of ladders, lifts and platforms sincethey do not have to hold onto the subject stud welder apparatus 20. Itshould also be appreciated that the compact and light-weight componentsof the stud welder apparatus 20 facilitate a configuration with arelatively small form factor, for example, less than or equal to 1000in³ (0.58 ft), and less than or equal to twenty pounds (excluding theweld stud gun 60 and cables 62, 64, 68, 69), which allows the device toeasily be transported by an operator by way of the handle 83 or shoulderstrap 88 so that the portable stud welder apparatus 20 can also becarried by the worker while performing weld tasks.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present inventionare possible in light of the above teachings and may be practicedotherwise than as specifically described while within the scope of theappended claims. These antecedent recitations should be interpreted tocover any combination in which the inventive novelty exercises itsutility. The use of the word “said” in the apparatus claims refers to anantecedent that is a positive recitation meant to be included in thecoverage of the claims whereas the word “the” precedes a word not meantto be included in the coverage of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A portable stud welder apparatus for welding astud onto a work piece, said portable stud welder apparatus including: ahousing; an energy storage device disposed in said housing; a weld studgun configured to hold a stud and electrically connected to said energystorage device for receiving energy from said energy storage device topass a current through the stud and the work piece to form a weldment;and at least one battery of the lithium ion type being removeablycoupled to said housing to establish an electrical connection with saidenergy storage device to provide energy to said energy storage device.2. A portable stud welder apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein saidhousing defines a battery recess including a battery terminalelectrically connected with said energy storage device; and said atleast one battery is removably received by said battery recess todispose said at least one battery in electrical contact with saidbattery terminal for securely storing said battery during use of saidportable stud welder apparatus.
 3. A portable stud welder apparatus asset forth in claim 2 further including a door connected to said housingadjacent to said battery recess and moveable between an open positionand a closed position, wherein said door encloses said battery in saidbattery recess and isolates said battery from an environment of theportable stud welder apparatus when in said closed position, and whereinsaid door does not obstruct removal of said battery from said batteryrecess when said door is in said open position.
 4. A portable studwelder apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further including a holsterpivotally connected to said housing for receiving said weld stud gun,said holster being pivotal between a folded position and an unfoldedposition, wherein said holster is positioned flush with said housingwhen said holster is in said folded position, and wherein said holsterextends at an angle relative to said housing when said holster is insaid unfolded position.
 5. A portable stud welder apparatus as set forthin claim 4 further including a cleat pivotally connected to said housingfor receiving cables thereabout, said cleat being pivotal between afolded position and an unfolded position, wherein said cleat ispositioned flush with said housing when said cleat is in said foldedposition, and wherein said cleat extends at an angle relative to saidhousing when said cleat is in said unfolded position.
 6. A portable studwelder apparatus as set forth in claim 5 wherein said holster and saidcleat are integrally connected to one another.
 7. A portable stud welderapparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein a strap is connected to saidhousing for allowing a user to carry and support the portable studwelder apparatus.
 8. A portable stud welder apparatus as set forth inclaim 7 further including a pair of connecting rings attached to saidhousing; and a pair of coupling links each fixed to said strap andremoveably connected to one of said connecting rings for establishing aremoveable connection between said strap and said housing.
 9. A portablestud welder apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further including abattery charger being independent of said housing for charging said atleast one battery.
 10. A portable stud welder apparatus as set forth inclaim 1 wherein said battery is a 46.8 volt, 5 amp-hour lithium ionbattery.
 11. A portable stud welder apparatus as set forth in claim 1wherein said housing defines a gun welding terminal, a work piece groundterminal, and a chassis ground terminal; said gun welding terminal andsaid work piece ground terminal are electrically connected to saidenergy storage device; a weld cable extends from said weld stud gun saidgun welding terminal of said housing; a safety ground cable extends fromsaid work piece ground terminal of said housing; a connector isconnected to said welding ground cable for being fixed and electricallyconnected to said work piece; and a safety ground cable extends betweensaid connector and said chassis ground terminal for providing a safetyground for said housing.
 12. A portable stud welder apparatus as setforth in claim 11 further including a controller disposed in saidhousing and configured to monitor the connection between said chassisground cable and said chassis ground terminal and to generate an alertin response to the detection that said chassis ground cable and saidsafety ground terminal are disconnected.
 13. A portable stud welderapparatus as set forth in claim 1 further including: a knob disposed onsaid housing and electrically connected to an encoder for adjusting theweld voltage applied to said weld stud gun; a display screen disposed onsaid housing for presenting information to a user, wherein saidinformation includes at least the weld voltage selected by said knob; ahandle pivotally connected to said housing for allowing a user to carrysaid housing; and a pair of rails disposed on said housing in spaced andparallel relationship with one another on opposing sides of said knob,display screen, and handle for limiting said pivoting movement of saidhandle and preventing said knob, display screen and handle from beingdamaged.
 14. A portable stud welder apparatus as set forth in claim 1wherein said housing has a cuboid shape and includes a front wall, aback wall, a top wall, a bottom wall, a first side wall and a secondside wall; and a plurality of back support legs are disposed on saidback wall of said housing and a plurality of bottom support legs aredisposed on said bottom wall of said housing for allowing said housingto be supported by said back or bottom support legs without damagingother components of said housing.
 15. A portable stud welder apparatusfor welding a stud onto a work piece, said portable stud welderapparatus including; a housing generally having a cuboid shape andincluding a front wall and a back wall and a top wall and a bottom walland a first side wall and a second side wall; said front wall of saidhousing presenting a gun welding terminal, a gun control terminal, awelding ground terminal, and a safety ground terminal; an energy storagedevice electrically connected to said power source for receiving energyfrom said power source; a weld stud gun of the capacitive discharge typeelectrically connected to said housing; said weld stud gun including acollet for removeably supporting a stud; said weld stud gun electricallyconnected to said energy storage device for receiving energy from saidenergy storage device; a weld cable extending from said weld stud gun tosaid gun welding terminal on said housing for providing a weldingvoltage to said weld stud gun; a control cable extending from said weldstud gun to said control terminal on said housing for providinginstructions to said weld stud gun; a connector for connecting to thework piece; said connector being a clamp; a welding ground cableextending from said clamp to said work piece ground terminal; a safetyground cable extending from said connector to said chassis groundterminals for functioning as a safety ground cable; a power sourcedisposed in said housing and electrically connected to said work pieceground terminal for providing power to said weld stud gun; said energystorage device being a capacitor; a controller disposed in said housingfor providing instructions to said weld stud gun through said controlcable; said weld stud gun including a trigger moveable between anon-activated position and an activated position, wherein said triggersends a signal through said control cable to said controller to createan arc between a stud on said weld stud gun and the work piece byapplying a welding voltage to said weld cable and said welding groundcable when said trigger is in said activated position, and wherein nowelding voltage is applied to said weld cable and said welding groundcable when said trigger is in said unactivated position; a knob disposedon said top wall of said housing and electrically connected to apotentiometer for adjusting the welding voltage applied to said workpiece; a display screen positioned on said top wall of said housing forpresenting information to a user, wherein said information includes atleast the welding voltage as selected by said knob; an actuation switchpositioned on said top wall of said housing and moveable between an onposition and an off position for powering on and off said portable studwelder apparatus; a handle pivotally connected to the top wall of thehousing for allowing a user to carry said housing; a plurality of ventsdefined by said front wall and said back wall and said side walls ofsaid housing for cooling said compartment of said housing; at least oneof said vents being an intake vent disposed on said second side wall fordrawing air into said compartment and at least one of said vents beingan exhaust vent disposed on at least one of said first side wall, saidfront wall and said back wall for removing air from said compartment; asupport assembly pivotally connected to said front wall of said housing;said support assembly included a holster defining an opening generallyhaving a rectangular shape for receiving and holding said weld stud gun,and cable cleat having a generally T-shape for allowing said cables tobe wrapped thereabout; a pair of connecting rings on opposing said topwall of said housing; a strap including a pair of coupling linksremoveably connected to said connecting rings for allowing a user tocarry said housing; a battery recess defined by said first side wall ofsaid housing; a battery terminal disposed in said recess andelectrically connected to said energy storage device; said power sourceincluding a 46.8 volt, 5 amp-hour lithium ion battery for beingremoveably disposed in said battery recess and electrically connectedwith said battery terminal and said energy storage device; a doorconnected to said first side wall of said housing and moveable betweenan open position and a closed position for sealing said battery in saidbattery recess and for allowing said battery to be removed from saidbattery recess; a plurality of back support legs disposed on said backwall of said housing and a plurality of bottom support legs disposed onsaid bottom wall of said housing for allowing said housing to besupported by said back or bottom support legs; and a pair of railsdisposed on said top wall in spaced and parallel relationship with oneanother on opposing sides of said handle and said knob and said displayscreen for limiting said pivoting movement of said handle and preventingthe knob, display screen and actuation switch from being engaged byforeign objects.